New Publix coming to College Town

A new Publix supermarket is planned for one of Tallahassee’s fastest-growing districts, documents confirm. The store will be in College Town along Gaines Street, where the Culpepper Construction and Carlstedts buildings are located. It will be adjacent to GrassLands Brewing Co.

For months, there has been talk about a Publix coming to the area near Florida State University but few firm plans were disclosed. Officials working behind the scenes on the deal have been tight-lipped about details. However, an inquiry from the Tallahassee Democrat about lease and lending agreements recently filed with the Leon Clerk of Court spurred a response.

“We are very excited to be part of the team to bring this vision to reality for the downtown and College Town district,” said Claude Walker, CEO of Summit Group East, representing Summit Holdings XV LLC as the property landlord. “Our team here at the Summit Group looks forward to continuing to enhance the quality of life for the residents of this great community.”

Walker said the new store is slated to open in early 2018. When contacted, Publix did not provide any further details about the new store but did express excitement about expanding in Tallahassee.

“Publix has been a longtime neighbor and friend in the Tallahassee community for several decades,” said Publix spokesman Dwaine Stevens. “We are deeply appreciative of our loyal customers and friends and look forward to the development of this new site. We remain committed to the Gaines Street location and look forward to serving this community and our customers.”

One official document shows Farmers & Merchants Bank plans to lend Publix $2.8 million for the store project. There are more than half a dozen Publix locations in Leon County.